Hello Ethan,
My first (and so far, only) TR for FT was a first class trip to Beijing. I spend most of my life in coach, using upgrades only for trips that are about seven hours or more, which is my personal limit for sitting in a confining seat. (I'm 6'0-1", so we're about the same size.) Four hours coast to coast? I'm actually fine flying Southwest. In fact, I love their bloody Mary mix, without alcohol, which is my drink of choice on WN. It's not a problem at all.
Seven hours to Germany? Tolerable in coach, not torture by any means. Some may disagree.
But 14 hours to China? Egads, that's when the amenities of business class or first start to pay off. And honestly, I'm not talking about the obsequious service or the six-course meal prepared by an on-board chef. (And yes, even AA, my airline of choice to Asia, actually has an onboard chef who does nothing but cook for first class passengers.) It's really about the fact that you can stretch out, claim some personal space, and feel like you have some control over your environment.
If you like, take a look at my TR. It's here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ts-photos.html I posted too many pictures of tasty on-board food, but in Chapter 3, you can see some good photos of what it's like to walk around in China. I hope the spirit of my TR captures what it really special and unique about a long-haul trip in premium class. Not the catering
per se, not the attentive service, not the brand of champagne. But the fact that airlines are paying attention to making air travel a genuinely special and pleasant experience. That harkens back to a time when air travel itself was something unique and special, when people would dress up to go flying. It's wonderful to see that some airlines are still paying homage to the idea that an intercontinental trip is something to savor.
But the great experience of travel is really what keeps me coming back to FT, and your Trip Report is perfect for that. Much better than a photo of a premium appetizer at 31,000 feet. I guess this is a long way of saying that the journey is more than the seat you sit in, and your TR shows that really well.
Anyway -- Good job. I'm looking forward to the rest.
Cheers.